Tastes and textures, different cultures and traditional dishes – whether for health reasons or just for preference – when it comes to food, the world is just about everyone’s oyster in today’s times.
Owners John and Katrina Weller
For Cambridge couple John and Katrina Weller, it makes sense to open a shop reflecting that versatility along with the ability to source-hard-to-find, or artisan New Zealand products.
And that’s how their new shop Cambridge Wholefoods has come about.
There quite literally is something for everyone in the shop opposite Five Stags.
“We’ll try to find everything people ask us to source,” Katrina says.
“And that’s a lot. The centre of the store holds 180 different bins of everyday staples, and another area where people can come in and refill their own containers with Ecostore products.
“We believe in sustainability – for example, we have peanut and almond butter machines and people are encouraged to bring in their own clean jars.”
She says a lot of people travel to all sorts of places out of the region to source the foodstuffs they are looking for – one she knows even going as far as Auckland.
“Or they buy online if they can’t find it locally,” she says.
John and Katrina say Cambridge was lacking in an outlet with such a wide range of products, and decided to fulfil the need they knew was there.
“We have a variety of sections around the perimeter of the shop – gluten-free, keto, vegan and this includes refrigerated and frozen foods,” Katrina says.
“We are particularly keen on sourcing New Zealand produced products; you often see people at expos who are making fantastic things and need a landing space, such a shop as this provides to market what they do.
“We are big believers in sustainable and local production and always keen to look at what’s out there.”
What people look for are as wide ranging as the cultures that create different recipes themselves.
“It could be as mundane as a specific brand of sardines, or to the extreme where say Thermomix, for example, often uses ingredients you won’t find in a supermarket, like fresh yeast.
“Our policy is, if we haven’t got it, we will certainly do our best to source it.”
This goes as far as creating a suggestion blackboard at the rear corner of the store, where if a customer can’t find what they want, they can leave a request and the Wellers’ will do their best to source it for them.
One of the aspects that Katrina believes is a blessing in stores like theirs is the ability to buy as little – or as much – as someone wants.
“Whether it’s a small amount for a specific recipe or buying in bulk as a way to save money, we cater to that,” she says.
“We’ll also look at viral trends and stock what we can of those too.”
From the mundane to the unusual, from artisan to unique, and backed by the belief that sustainability and recycling are a great way to live, the Wellers say the response to the shop opening soon has so far been “overwhelmingly positive”.
To underline their thanks for the positivity, they will be putting everyone who spends more than $40 in the draw to win a goodie hamper of combined Ecostore and Chantal products, drawn on October 31.
